Living With Consequences

Deuteronomy 3:23-28

It is hard to read the Bible and not like Moses. He is so relatable. When God interrupts his life and sends him to Egypt to free the Hebrews, Moses says "I can't". When the Hebrews start complaining nonstop, Moses wants to quit. When God says that He is going to destroy the Hebrews (a test for Moses), Moses begs for mercy for the Hebrews. In some ways he is all over the place, just like we are. So, since he is so relatable, this passage is difficult. Perhaps because we know it hits home for us as well.

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“Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying: 24 ‘O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? 25 I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’

26 “But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. 28 But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.’

Deuteronomy 3:23-28

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Moses does not give a big explanation here as to why he cannot enter the promised land. The reason was that at Meribah Moses hit the rock with his staff, rather than speak to it like God said. On the surface this seems like such a trivial thing for God to be angry with Moses about, but let's dig a little deeper.

We tend to look at sin for who or how many people are hurt. If our sin does not really hurt anyone then we think it is a minor sin. If someone is hurt that is a little worse and if someone is killed, well that is a big deal. God sees sin differently. On the surface this looks like God overreacted about a rock being hit with a stick. However, God saw the heart of Moses. In Moses's frustration with the people, he rebelled against God. He was disobedient and disregarded God's instructions. It was the same sin as Adam and Eve committed in the garden.

Because of his sin, Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land. This did not stop him from asking God to reconsider the consequences in our passage today. How many times have we done this with our parents or some other authority figure? We might think that Moses was wrong for asking God to reconsider, but I do not think he was. Isn't that exactly what "mercy" is? Mercy is when we do not receive the consequences of our actions. God is a merciful God, but that does not mean we never face consequences, even when we live mostly obedient lives and serve God.

Moses facing consequences for his rebellion showed the people that no one was above the law of God. It applied to leaders just as it applied the lowest citizen. It demonstrated that there is no partiality with God (Romans 2:11). Just as Moses called the people to obedience to God, he too was expected to live in obedience. Just as all the people over 20 years old were not allowed to enter the promised land for their rebellion against God, so Moses too was forbidden from entering.

When Moses asked for mercy, God told him "no". He also told him "do not ask me about this again". God was not being hateful, but rather telling Moses it was time to move on. The issue was settled and not he needed to live out the rest of his life. God did not want Moses wasting time asking over and over for Him to reconsider. Rather, he wanted Moses to do exactly what we are reading about here. He wanted Moses to prepare the people to enter the promised land and he wanted him to prepare Joshua to take over and for the people to follow Joshua. That is what Deuteronomy is, preparing for two big transitions.

Just as Moses had to live with the consequences of his sins, sometimes we must do the same. Yes, there are times that God is merciful. Other times God deems that a sin must be judged. This reminds us that actions have consequences and the consequences of sin hurts. So, we are to learn not to sin.

God, may we always remember that You are good. When You are merciful, You are good. When You discipline us, You are good. Help us to remember that ALL things are working together for our good; even when it does not feel good at the time.